Youth participation in politics: Challenges and opportunities
Background:
Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. The country has been politically instable for the last three decades. The widespread problems faced by Somali youth, which include: unemployment, insecurity, radicalization and extremism, forced irregular migration, lack of quality education and vocational training, health services, etc. Somalia is a youthful country with a high fertility rate. Approximately 70% of the population is under the age of 30 and more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25. With this huge youth population, young people at working age suffer from the impacts of a high unemployment rate, which is estimated to stand at 60%; one of the highest in the world. Somali youth are under great strain from different issues, but this doesn’t do be waning due to inertia in politics at both the national and state level. Politics in Somalia is dominated by old people and those who are financially stable and youth have not been given the chances to participate in the same.
Elections process is also dominated and preserved for old people. Even though the political process has opened up to the youth. The government has not yet supported youth participation in election process and democracy.
Major challenges that youth can face when they decided to participate politics and elections process include:
Lack of support: The youth have not received any support from the national government, states and other organizations
Unemployment: The country has high rates of unemployment which make youth have less powers to get chances to participate in election and political processes
Lack of organization: Somali youth across the board lack necessary organizations that could mobilize youth energy and direct it for the common good. This would include putting pressure on the administrations at different levels to design and implement policies that benefit youth. Nevertheless, many of the organizations are shoddy or dormant that have no discernable effect on how politics works and how policies are made.
Divisive and clannish mindset: seeing and evaluating everything through the prism of clan can deprive youth from standing up for the advocacy on the issues that affect them and holding authorities accountable.
Indirect elections: Back-to-back indirect elections are major limitation to the youth involvement in the political process. Due to the rather narrow political space, many of the youth end up being campaigners for other politicians. This might be the only option since politics is a reserve for the financially-able and well-connected. If there were universal suffrage elections, politically ambitious youth would have had higher prospects for winning seats since they are often closer to the local communities and lived realities on the ground.
Opportunities:
Above, we listed a number of challenges that youth can face when they decide to participate politics and elections also there are a number of opportunities that help youth to participate politics in Somalia, the followings include that number of opportunities:
Early joining in political parties: Somali National Independent Electoral Commission — NIEC registered a number of political parties according to them and those political parties are ready to compete the leading of this growing nation and they have opportunities for youth that is to join them and make with them struggling to reach the political goal. So, youth can participate politics through joining of political parties in Somalia.
Building youth alliances: Somalis proverb says “Gacmo wadajir ayey wax ku gooyaan”, according to that proverb we can say youth need to build alliances to participate politics, any action you fail to do it try it to do another time with your friends/colleagues. In Somalia has no effective youth alliances that have a great vision towards political participation, So, Somali youth need effective alliances to protect and response the pressure from old people who have the desire of being politicians more than one, two or three times.
Being an influential young politicians: in Somalia having a desire of being politician is not easy but it needs for a great vision and more planning. To be a young influenced politician will help you to participate politics in Somalia and reaching your political goal. After adding your potentials with a high influence, your expectations towards political participation will be positive.
